This invention relates to a weight lifting aid and more particularly to a multi-purpose weight lifting aid which is useful as an aid for barbell lifting on the shoulders as its primary function and as an aid for doing arm curls as its secondary function.
An important object of the invention is to provide an improved weight lifting aid which can be used either for lifting a barbell on the shoulders or for doing arm curls.
Another object is to provide such an aid which, when used for lifting a barbell on the shoulders will disperse the weight of the barbell laterally across the entire upper back muscles, i.e., the deltoid, the trapezius, the infra-spinatus, the rhomboideus and the teres major.
Normally, the barbell shaft rests, and the weight is concentrated, on the upper central portion of the trapezius (the nape of the neck). When a lifter starts working out with greater weights, this weight concentration can cause great pain and can bruise the nape area. The pain can divert the lifter's attention from the lift, the form and the technique.
By dispersing the weight across the upper back and shoulders, an aid embodying the invention alleviates the pain and pressure, thus allowing the lifter to concentrate totally on the sets, in turn enabling the lifter to do more sets and eventually add more weight, increasing ability and strength.
It is a further object to provide a weight lifting aid which can be used for shoulder lifts without requiring that the aid be strapped in place, in such manner that the lifter need not be concerned with balancing the aid.
It is an additional object to provide a weight lifting aid which can be used either for shoulder lifting as mentioned above or for arm curls to build chest and arm muscles, in which case attachable straps are added for attaching the aid on the front of the lifter`s abdomen.
It is a still further object to provide a weight lifting aid which is light in weight and inexpensive and which can be used by lifters of various sizes, thereby minimizing the number of sizes in which the aid must be provided.
Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
A patentability search hereon has revealed the following U.S. Pat. Nos: 3,679,107 on July 25, 1972 to Perrine, 3,724,846 on Apr. 3, 1973 to Perrine.
The '107 patent discloses a lifting yoke for shoulder use only. The yoke distributes the weight off the end of the spinal column and along the back of the user.
The '846 patent discloses a yoke which can be used in doing arm curls only. The yoke is supported by straps from the shoulders and fits across the lifter's chest. The ends of the yoke fit back of the triceps muscles to restrain the forearm from moving the biceps and triceps muscles from a vertical position during a weight lifting operation.
It is believed that the '107 patent and the '846 patent are irrelevant to the present invention.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear more clearly hereinafter.